Frames and Google

[gstewart]

There's a lot off criticism of frames in webdesign newsgroups, but I use the technique on a couple of sites. How does it impact on my positioning in Google? I put a brief resume of my site on the "Noframes" page, and use javascript to reconstitute the frameset if anyone is led to a non-framed url. Any thoughts?

[piskie]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld

I look after a couple of framed sites that I inherited and believe me they are very hard work. both are in relatively uncompetitive fields and I eventualy got good returns but it would have been a fraction of the work had they been ordinary simple open pages.

My advice - never but never volunteer to make a site in frames, in fact scream and protest all the way to your keyboard.

[ukgimp]

One of the main problems is a page appearing out of context. I have worked on framed sites and used a simple google search to show the client what atually apears when they click the link on the SERP.

Yep thats it, a page with no navigation and no way for the user to get anywhere. The user quickly goes elswhere. So incorporate a frame stuffer if you can as it sound slike you have.

One of the problems with noframes is you only have one unless you create multiple Framesets for different sections. This limits the amount of info you can stuff into them. Put too much and the page may slow down. Remember that not many people will actually read the noframes so the language used does not have to be a readible from a human perspective.

How about putting links to inner pages as a sort of site map for google to follow.

Cheers

[Macguru]

Hi gstewart,

Can I Welcome you too [webmasterworld.com]?

>>I put a brief resume of my site on the "Noframes" page, and use javascript to reconstitute the frameset if anyone is led to a non-framed url. Any thoughts?

So, from a search engine point of view, you are doing everything right. The extra work, if you dont mind about it, can lead you to very good results on search engines if you also make sure all of them can follow the internal links.

But there is also a usability issue. tedster, one co-moderator of the Browsers, HTML, and Web Page Design [webmasterworld.com], stated once a big boost in traffic for sites he re-builed to a 'flat' design from a 'framed' one. Unfortunatly, I just cannot find this thread anymore. A lot of visitors just can't dig frames. Even if you do it all right for both search engines and them.

[glengara]

This may be the post Macguru means.
[webmasterworld.com...]

[cornwall]

Since it has been unclear to me whether or not there is a Google problem with frames, I have "split the difference" where I have believed frames to be necessary.

By having a non frames index page, you can maximise the index page for Search Engines, then the inside pages can carry the frames.

I have several sites that use this approach and are well positioned in Google against keywords in highly competitive areas.

I agree that

One of the main problems is a page appearing out of context. I have worked on framed sites and used a simple google search to show the client what actually appears when they click the link on the SERP.

and as you say it is not difficult to work round that problem. And, yes, also always have a site map for robots to follow (I believe you should have one whether you are using frames or not)